One day after earning a win over the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a somewhat surprising decision to designate James Paxton for assignment even amid a pressing need for starting pitching.
“It was tough. James is an absolute pro. I was very fortunate, we were all fortunate, to get to have him don the Dodger uniform. It’s one of those decisions that is very difficult,” manager Dave Roberts said of the roster move.
“Trying to understand the guys we have coming back, the guys we want to get looks at, and in particular, some starters, so it was a difficult decision. He handled it like a pro.
“Brandon Gomes called him this morning and I followed up with a phone call. Like I said, he handled it great. Grateful for his time and we were very fortunate to have him.”
Paxton was DFA’d to make room for prospect River Ryan on the Dodgers’ 40-man and active rosters. The right-hander made his MLB debut on Monday and allowed just one unearned run in 5.1 innings pitched.
Paxton signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Dodgers that included a signing bonus and performance incentives. He originally agreed to a one-year contract for $11 million, but the deal was reworked amid some health concerns.
Paxton nevertheless accrued $600,000 each time he made his sixth, eighth, 10th, 12th and 16th start this season. He also earned a $1 million bonus for making an 18th start of the year, which came Sunday against the Red Sox.
Paxton went 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA, 4.96 FIP and 1.46 WHIP for the Dodgers. Despite his sparkling record, the left-hander leads the National League with 48 walks and is striking out a career-low 6.4 batters per nine.
Next for James Paxton
At the time of being DFA’d, the Dodgers had seven days to either trade Paxton, place him on outright waivers or grant his release.
Given the number of teams in search of starting pitching, the most likely course is that Paxton will be claimed off waivers and the Dodgers will work out a trade at that point.
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